News Release

SAC Foundation Receives $50,000 from AT&T to Support the Veterans Resource Center

January 26th Reception Celebrates Unprecedented Donation

(Santa Ana, CA) - AT&T has donated $50,000 to the Santa Ana College (SAC) Foundation to benefit the college’s Veterans Resource Center (VRC). The grant will support all direct services for student veterans, including counseling, book loans, and special training to help veterans transition to civilian life. Topics covered include financial literacy. Last year, there were 510 veterans enrolled in classes at Santa Ana College and there were over 6,000 visits to the VRC to access services.

“We are very pleased about our partnership with AT&T,” said Ken Purcell, president, SAC Foundation Board of Directors and retired vice president of First American Corporation. “Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces face challenges in adjusting to civilian and college life. Many confront problems in managing the costs of higher education and civilian life and this donation will help ensure a smoother transition for them.”

Student veterans, college faculty and staff, SAC Foundation board members, community leaders and AT&T representatives will gather on Tuesday, January 26, at 10:00 a.m. to celebrate this exceptional contribution. The check presentation and reception will take place in the SAC Veterans Resource Center, M-120, 1530 W. 17th St., Santa Ana.

“Santa Ana College is very grateful for AT&T’s generosity,” said Erlinda J. Martinez, Ed.D., SAC president. “This amazing support will make an incredible difference in our student veterans’ academic success.”

Santa Ana College’s Veteran Resource Center provides the following services:

    • Access to a Certifying Official for help with accessing GI Bill benefits.
    • Specialized academic counseling to develop educational plans to meet VA benefit requirements.
    • Customized orientation and academic skills workshops for veterans.
    • Quiet study area with access to computers, the Internet and a printer.
    • Mentorship stipends that are available to student veterans who participate in the VA Work-Study program.
    • Free coffee and snacks for student veterans.
    • Graphing calculator loan program.
    • Book loan program that enables student veterans to purchase books before their VA benefits kick in.
    • Help with financial aid applications.
    • Access to a vocational rehabilitation counselor.
    • Veterans Student Association.

“AT&T is dedicated to supporting our veterans and their families,” said Richard Porras, Regional Vice President of External Affairs for AT&T California. “Through this $50,000 contribution, we are proud to support these important services for veterans in our community.”

Other programs and services available to veterans through the VRC include: priority registration, accommodations for veterans with disabilities, distance learning, Board of Governors fee waivers, in-state tuition waivers, access to the college's child development centers, work-study/campus job opportunities, and health and wellness services. Strength in Support (SIS), a non-profit organization, provides free mental health support to active duty service members, veterans and their families through the SAC VRC. Services provided by SIS include individual, couples, family, and or group therapy. SIS therapists help students deal with isolation, PTSD, depression, substance abuse, anxiety, educational problems, marital issues, and the long process of transitioning back to “normal” life at home, enabling veterans to reintegrate as smoothly as possible into an educational setting.

“It is a privilege to be part of an endeavor in which the education and private sectors have come together to build a strong network of resources for those who proudly served our country, our veterans,” said Senator Janet Nguyen. “I am proud of Santa Ana College’s leadership in serving our nation’s heroes, and appreciate AT&T’s recognition of the great services administered at the Veterans Resource Center.”

For more information about the SAC Foundation, contact Executive Director Christina Romero at (714) 564-6095 or visit www.sac.edu/foundation.

About Santa Ana College
Santa Ana College (SAC), which is turning 100 years old in 2015, serves about 18,000 students each semester at its main campus in Santa Ana. The college prepares students for transfer to four-year institutions, provides invaluable workforce training, and customized training for business and industry. In addition, another 11,000 students are served through the college’s School of Continuing Education located at Centennial Education Center. Ranked as one of the nation’s top two-year colleges awarding associate degrees to Latino and Asian students, the college is also recognized throughout the state for its comprehensive workforce training programs for nurses, firefighters, law enforcement and other medical personnel. SAC is one of two comprehensive colleges under the auspices of the Rancho Santiago Community College District. Visit www.sac.edu to learn more. For information about Santa Ana College’s Centennial, please visit www.sac.edu/100.

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Contact: Judy Iannaccone

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